Project US Info Proposal

 

Presented to the Florida State emergency preparedness conference, Daytona, 2014

 

What is CMAS Level 4, and why do I care…?

In 2008 FEMA began to implement Commercial Mobile Alert Service as a ‘Good Citizen’ initiative by the US cellular industry as a voluntary feature in compliance with the WARN Act and FCC voluntary mandate CFR part 10.

 

It uses a simple broadcast function of mobile technology that in essence turns each cell tower into a mini broadcast station that can post a small text message on any, and all cell devices within its range without any need for a phone to be preprogramed, or its location and user identified.

This is important because all other cellular mass notification features require the phone to talk back to the network before the message can be sent presenting a high demand on the network’s limited spectrum at a time when it may be needed by emergency personnel responding to a disaster or panic event.

 

Now operating in over 30 nations, it has been credited with saving countless lives by providing very location targeted alert and warnings, primarily for weather related threat.

 

In the US, unlike other countries, CMAS is implemented through a policy based initiative, presumably so that there would be no costs imposed on either the sender, (authorized agencies) or the recipient, (the citizen-at-risk) that might limit its use and penetration.

 

Unfortunately, the use of private corporation assets by public agencies without compensation is contrary to for-profit corporation’s fiduciary responsibility regardless of its humanitarian benefit.

Cellular industry is not in the business of protecting the public.

Because there has been no way for carriers to recoup their voluntary investment in the core technology used, cell-broadcast, the industry has understandably been reluctant to dedicate additional resources on promotion, expansion, or to purchase more cell-broadcast technology for new generations of cellular service.

 

This is the reason few people are aware of Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA), and the US service has not been the success it is in Europe Asia and Israel where citizens in very precise locations are able to be instantly alerted to incoming SCUD missile attacks.

 

Today you might ask, isn’t WEA really not needed here because most people are able to get alert and warning via various communication channels including social media that go beyond radio and TV EAS.

The answer is yes, but the more channels available the less the public will be vulnerable to the increasing magnitude and frequency of both natural and manmade disaster threats. 

 

But CMAS has additional capabilities that can only be provided by the cellular carriers.

 

By international agreements, CMAS has defined over 30 levels of government-to-citizen messaging.

 

To date the US carriers have agreed to only provide;

• level 1, which allows the President to address the nation, and

• level 2, which is designated for imminentlife-threatening events (primarily weather), and in the US, Amber alerts. While level 2 is also open via the FEMA Open Gateway to local emergency agencies, it is seldom used due to lack of education confusion regarding its use and availability.

 

Hurricane Sandy demonstrated, unquestionably, the need for post-event government-to-citizen communication media was more urgent that the initial warnings.  Without power, citizens no longer had access to radio, TV, or the Internet. The only devices still operational were the cell phones.

 

CMAS level 4 is defined as a post-event and public safety information channel.  It uses all of the same technologies resident it the networks, but allows citizens to opt-in or be Over the Air connected to official government instruction, vastly streamlining recovery efforts and improving moral.

 

Information ranging from where relief stations are located to when the power will be restored to your location is deliverable as CMAS level 4.

 

CMAS level 4 answers the question….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CMAS level 4

• Where do you get CMAS level 4?

  Availability of Level 4, like Levels 1, and 2, is at the sole discretion of the mobile carriers to offer.

• So its going to cost something, how much?

  Yes, without providing a revenue incentive why would the carriers make it available.  The good news is they already have invested in the Cell-Broadcast technology so there is minimal cost to the network to include an additional level.  Our estimate based on Europe and Asia CMAS service indicate 3.2 cents per pop per month will recover the networks’ total expenditures for all levels of CMAS.

• Where will this money come from?

  Good news again. There are several  funding options available.

  • Depending on the states legislation governing the use of the e911 surtax on mobile phone bills, the cost of CMAS level 4 could be largely paid by this existing tax.

  • Utilities have a long history of subsidizing the cost of public alert and warning systems. The ability for power and water companies to access the is customers through agreements with local emergency agencies would certainly be in their corporate interest as they too were heavily criticized for their lack of communication post Sandy.

  • As cellular continues to replace land lines, much of the dial-down services can be replaced by CMAS level 4 at a significant cost savings to the jurisdiction.

• Why is this so important to Florida?

  Florida depends on tourism. It is essential that government has a reliable media to communicate with ‘visitors’ who would not be familiar with Florida’s emergency management procedures.

What’s the plan….

Florida DEM along with CEASa Group (the 2008 architect of the Florida Four County Project) will announce at the 2014 Hurricane Conference, a beta deployment of CMAS level 4 as a preparedness initiative aimed at avoiding another post-Sandy communications failure.  It will be used by the participating carriers and technology providers to establish a cost/benefit assessment of the service feature which will determine its continuance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CMAS LEVEL 4 Implementation is strictly a client-to-operator commercial mobile feature offering…..

It will be marketed, managed, and operated by a facilitating not-for-profit agency to insure it operates in the public interest and in accord with 3GPP, FCC Part 10 rules, and all existing CMAS protocols.

What are the benefits;

Operators

• Cost recovery for CMAS C-B investments and spectrum use,

• No additional investment or resources required

• Management of the commercial client CBE is outsourced

• Opens the door to additional revenue streams as a mass geocast data media

Local Jurisdictional Clients

• Provides a critically needed post-event communications tool to facilitate recovery and reduce costs

• Cost recovery funding options are available

• Able to utilize EAS broadcast partners to promote and expand information availability

• Will be able to replace other more costly government-to-citizen messaging and dial-down services

Citizen Subscribers

• Will have a direct linked to authorized recovery instruction when power availability may be disrupted and other media are not usable.

• Can be OTA activated eliminating the need for pre event setup of terminal devices.

• Does not require obtaining recipients’ location or personal identification